Platypus

Lore & Background

The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed mammal at first baffled European naturalists. In 1799, the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body judged it a fake made of several animals sewn together. The unique features of the platypus make it important in the study of evolutionary biology, and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia. It is culturally significant to several Aboriginal peoples, who also used to hunt it for food, and has appeared on stamps and currency. The platypus was hunted for its fur, but since 1912 it has been a legally protected species in all states where it is found. Captive breeding programs have had slight success, and it is vulnerable to pollution, bycatching and climate change. It is classified as a near-threatened species by the IUCN, but a November 2020 report has recommended that it be upgraded to threatened species under the federal EPBC Act, due to habitat destruction and declining numbers in all states.

In Their Own Story

The river was a churning void of cold silt and shadow, where visibility died inches from the snout. The platypus did not need eyes here; it needed only to glide. Its webbed front feet paddled with rhythmic, silent precision while its hind legs acted as rudders, slicing through the current. Beneath the surface, the darkness was alive—a symphony of faint electrical pulses. A shrimp twitched its leg three meters away, a tiny spark in the void. The platypus surged forward, eyes sealed tight against the grit, and snapped its bill shut on the invisible target before it could vanish into the silt.

Reader's Guide

The platypus is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It feeds on insect larvae, worms, shrimp, crayfish, and other prey, which it detects using electrolocation while underwater. It is preyed upon by goannas, Murray cod, eagles, and other predators. The platypus has a single opening called a cloaca for both reproductive and waste systems. The male has a spur on each hind foot that delivers venom. The species follows Bergmann's rule, with individuals being larger the farther south they are. It is one of the most densely furred mammals, behind only otters, and is biofluorescent, glowing cyan and green under ultraviolet light.

Did You Know?

• The platypus is one of only five extant species of monotremes, mammals that lay eggs.
• The male platypus has a venomous spur on each hind foot.
• The platypus uses electrolocation to detect prey underwater while its eyes, ears, and nostrils are closed.
• The first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body in 1799 thought it was a fake made of several animals sewn together.
• The platypus has been a legally protected species since 1912.